Cochon Lafayette Set To Close – Ruffino’s To Open

Cochon of Lafayette has made the announcement that they are closing. The restaurant, which is located next to the river in the River Ranch development, made the announcement today.

Liz Goliwas, a spokeswoman for Link Restaurant Group, the parent company of Cochon, went on to mention that there is a bright side to the story. The Cochon Lafayette location will become a new restaurant operated by the owners of Ruffino’s in Baton Rouge. Goliwas said,

We’ve enjoyed our time in Lafayette. We’re also happy that the beautiful Vermilion River location we built will become a vibrant new restaurant serving an excellent menu from a highly regarded Louisiana operator

The announcement is part of a plan by the parent group to focus their energies on the New Orleans market where they own three restaurants and a private dining facility. They also announced the planned opening of a new restaurant there in the spring.

The last day for the restaurant in Lafayette will be February 10th.

Meanwhile, the owners of Ruffino's have announced that they will be opening in the location sometime in April.

Ruffino’s co-owner Ruffin Rodrigue said,

We are excited to be joining the Lafayette family of restaurants. Cochon created a gorgeous interior atmosphere and you couldn’t ask for a more beautiful view of the river. We believe there’s a place for our unique fare in this market, and we think our fun, yet elegant approach to dining will be embraced by the good folks of Lafayette.

Rodrigue may be familiar to some as he is a former All American Guard for the LSU Tigers. He has a business partner, Peter Sclafani, who said of the pending opening in Lafayette,

We’ve been looking for an opportunity to bring Ruffino’s to Lafayette for years, and things just worked out perfectly